Causes And Consequences of

Flooding
By: Moreno Busacca
 United
• Causes Of Flooding:
Kingdom Population: 66.44 Million

• Weather events
• Flooding is normally caused by natural weather events such as:
• heavy rainfall and thunderstorms over a short period
• prolonged, extensive rainfall
• high tide combined with stormy conditions.
• It is also predicted that climate change will increase the risk of flooding in the UK and other parts of
the world. The following factors can also cause or contribute to flooding.
• Poor maintenance
• Faulty sewer networks
• Poor or insufficient drainage networks
• Inadequate maintenance of watercourses
• Development/planning issues
• Inappropriate development in flood plains
• Building on land in a way that prevents rainfall from draining away naturally - this includes roads
and car parks that are impermeable to water, increasing the risk of flooding from rainwater runoff
• Flood defence schemes that are defective or badly designed
 United Kingdom Population: 66.44 Million
• Consequences Of Flooding:
• Floods can be a prevalent problem in the UK. Not only do floods damage property – sometimes beyond
repair – but they can spread disease and pose a very significant risk to life. But what are the facts? These
2019 UK flooding statistics put numbers to the theories.
• As it currently stands, the residents of around 2.4 million UK properties are at risk from fluvial (river) and
coastal flooding each year, while a further 2.8 million are susceptible to surface water – or pluvial – flooding.
• Overall, one in six properties throughout the UK – around 5.2 million in total – are located in areas where
there is quite a significant risk of flooding.
• At peak times, flooding costs the economy around £100,000 per hour per major road affected. As many as
40% of businesses do not reopen after suffering a catastrophic loss from flooding, and the mental health
impacts of flooding can be prevalent for more than two years in the individuals who have been affected.
• Adding to this considerable threat is the number of water pumping stations and sewage treatment plants
that are located in areas that pose a moderate to high flood risk. Currently, 55% of all water or sewage
pumping or treatment works are threatened by flooding, while 34% are significantly at risk.
• This means that the average UK household is currently more likely to get flooded than burgled. It has also
been discovered that local councils investing just 10% and drawing on additional resources could potentially
unlock up to 90% of the available government funding earmarked for areas at risk of flooding.
• The main problems seem to stem from a lack of available information. For example, many households and
businesses across the UK are eligible for free flood warnings, and yet only 41% of those people are
registered for this service.
 Bangladesh Population: 164.7 Million
• Background
• Bangladesh is a low lying country in South Asia that is situated in the delta of the
Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna confluences. Around 80% of the country is
situated on the low-lying floodplain called the Bangladesh Plain.
• The country is prone to flooding and tropical monsoon conditions. Mahbub Alum
said of Bangladesh in the International Journal of Climatology that Bangladesh is
like a funnel, and combined with its low lying nature, makes even the most
moderate of its annual monsoons potentially devastating.
• The Ganges flows from the Himalayas down to the delta, and is influenced by
snow and glacier melt.
• In 1998, abnormally high tides and high glacier melt contributed to prolonged
monsoon rains in flooding the country.
• deforestation in nepal and river damming in india that had increased
sedimentation also contributed to the flooding.
• The floods in Bangladesh in 1998 eclipsed the country's previous flooding disaster
in 1988, lasting for nearly 3 months, instead of 3 weeks, compounded by
continuing monsoon rains throughout the 3 month period.
 Bangladesh Population: 164.7 Million
• Physical Causes of the flood
• Bangladesh sits in the Delta of the River Ganges, River Brahmaputra and River Meghna. The country is low-
lying with 80%of the land just a metre above sea level.
• Prolonged heavy monsoon rains leading to all three major rives reaching peak flow at the same time.
• The Himalayas to the north of the country force relief (orographic rainfall), which increases rainfall totals and
river levels.
• Tectonic activity in the Himalayas means that erosion rate in rivers is high. The eroded sediment is then
deposited downstream in Bangladesh, chocking the river channels and increasing the chance of flooding.
• Human Causes of the flooding
• Urbanisation on land prone to flooding.
• Deforestation in the himalayas reduced interception time, which shortened lag time and increased peak
flow.
• The building of dams in India increased sedimentation in Bangladesh, which narrowed the channels.
• Pollution already in the rivers contributed to the flood. The Ganges is one of the most polluted rivers in the
world, polluted by industrial waste, human waste and for religious regions, being one of the most sacred
rivers in the world.
• Global warming has been attributed to increased snowmelt and higher sea levels.
 Bangladesh Population: 164.7 Million
• Economic impacts of the flood
• with 80% of the country under water, the immediate economic impact was extensive and wide-reaching.
• 700,000 hectares of crops destroyed.
• 400 factories closed.
• 20% reduction in economic production.
• 20 million made homeless.
• Two thirds of the country's capital city was under water for nearly three months.
• 2.04 million metric tonnes of rice crops lost.
• Environmental Impacts of the flood
• One positive impact on the environment of the flood was an increase in soil fertility in the following years.
• 80% of the country's land under water.
• Pollution from the river, some of it toxic would have been spread across the land by the floodwater.
• Political Impacts
• 30 million made homeless
• Death toll = over 1000
• In response to the flood the Government of Bangladesh pledged to give free seed to farmers in an effort to kickstart agriculture.
• There were outbreaks of typhoid in some villages because of the poor sanitation and pollution in the river.